2011 Korean Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel won in Korea as Red Bull secured a second consecutive constructors’ championship. Lewis Hamilton defended second place against Mark Webber in one of the afternoon’s fiercest battles.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:35.820
Fastest lap	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:39.605 on lap 55
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Third	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
14 October 2011	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
14 October 2011	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
15 October 2011	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
15 October 2011	Qualifying	14:00
16 October 2011	Race	15:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Sebastian Vettel arrived at round 16 leading the 2011 F1 World Championship on 324 points, with Jenson Button on 210. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 518 points.

Race entries

The 12 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Korean Grand Prix. Jean-Eric Vergne, Karun Chandhok, Narain Karthikeyan also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Wet FP1 conditions led several drivers to complete only installation laps, limiting the value of the timing order. Michael Schumacher went quickest, while Sebastian Vettel had to avoid a slower car through the spray. Jean-Éric Jean-Eric Vergne made his first Toro Rosso practice appearance, gaining experience in demanding conditions rather than representative dry running.

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button led FP2, but the track remained too wet for useful slick-tyre work, frustrating race preparation. Nico Rosberg missed his braking point and collided with Jaime Alguersuari as the Toro Rosso emerged from the pits. The accident drew attention to the awkward interaction between the pit exit and approaching cars.

Dry FP3 finally allowed teams to assess the race tyres, with Jenson Button leading McLaren’s strong challenge. Sebastian Vettel’s quick supersoft attempts were spoiled by traffic, leaving his true pace unclear. A warning light was added at the pit exit after Friday’s collision, while Bruno Senna damaged his front wing in a spin.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2011 Korean Grand Prix FP1, 14 October 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	2:02.784	10
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.056s	8
3	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+0.128s	12
4	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+0.357s	12
5	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+0.398s	9
6	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+0.508s	13
7	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.607s	6
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.527s	12
9	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.013s	8
10	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.399s	5
11	21	Karun Chandhok	Team Lotus	+3.566s	11
12	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+4.068s	11
13	19	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	+4.757s	9
14	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+5.434s	5
15	23	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+6.048s	14
16	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+6.448s	14
17	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+9.874s	7
18	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+11.724s	4
19	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	No time	1
20	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	No time	5
21	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	No time	1
22	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	No time	1
23	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	No time	1
24	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	No time	1

Free Practice 2 Classification

2011 Korean Grand Prix FP2, 14 October 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:50.828	26
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.104s	19
3	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+1.818s	30
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.946s	25
5	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.221s	27
6	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.574s	25
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+2.879s	24
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+3.086s	18
9	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+3.120s	27
10	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+3.129s	32
11	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+3.372s	26
12	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+3.564s	26
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+4.003s	30
14	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+4.137s	21
15	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+4.359s	28
16	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+4.375s	24
17	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+4.716s	23
18	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+5.239s	22
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+5.841s	20
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+6.345s	19
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+7.441s	25
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+8.630s	26
23	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+9.130s	19
24	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+9.337s	20

Free Practice 3 Classification

2011 Korean Grand Prix FP3, 15 October 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:36.910	18
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.289s	18
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.813s	23
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.119s	21
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.524s	18
6	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+2.649s	23
7	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.702s	20
8	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.750s	22
9	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+2.785s	22
10	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+2.833s	25
11	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.937s	22
12	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.941s	20
13	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+3.054s	21
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+3.095s	17
15	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+3.120s	18
16	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	+3.541s	19
17	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+3.619s	20
18	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+3.801s	22
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+4.999s	18
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+5.035s	13
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+6.365s	19
22	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+7.467s	16
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+7.511s	22
24	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	+8.233s	11

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton headed qualifying for McLaren, with Sebastian Vettel second and Jenson Button third.

Lewis Hamilton ended Red Bull‘s run of sixteen consecutive pole positions. Sebastian Vettel qualified second, ahead of Jenson Button and Mark Webber, giving Hamilton his first pole since Canada in 2010.

Qualifying Classification

2011 Korean Grand Prix Qualifying, 15 October 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:37.525	1:36.526	1:35.820	14
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:39.093	1:37.285	1:36.042	12
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:37.929	1:37.302	1:36.126	14
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:39.071	1:37.292	1:36.468	11
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:38.670	1:37.313	1:36.831	16
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:38.393	1:37.352	1:36.980	11
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:38.426	1:37.892	1:37.754	12
8	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1:38.378	1:38.186	1:38.124	19
9	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:38.549	1:38.254	no time	16
10	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:38.789	1:38.219	no time	14
11	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:39.392	1:38.315	—	11
12	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:38.502	1:38.354	—	9
13	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:39.352	1:38.508	—	11
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:39.464	1:38.775	—	13
15	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	1:39.316	1:38.791	—	14
16	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:39.436	1:39.189	—	8
17	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:39.097	1:39.443	—	14
18	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	1:39.538	—	—	4
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	1:40.522	—	—	6
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	1:41.101	—	—	6
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	1:42.091	—	—	7
22	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	1:43.483	—	—	8
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	1:43.758	—	—	8
24	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	no time	—	—	2

What happened in the 2011 Korean Grand Prix?

Hamilton led from pole, but Vettel used the slipstream and passed at Turn 4 on the opening lap. Massa briefly reached third before Webber regained the place as the cars fought through the first corners.

Petrov ran into the back of Schumacher under braking, eliminating both cars and bringing out the safety car. Vettel rebuilt his advantage after the restart while the contest behind him remained tight.

Webber repeatedly challenged Hamilton, including a wheel-to-wheel exchange through the middle sector, but the McLaren held second. Alonso used a longer stint to move ahead of Massa and close on the group ahead.

Vettel won ahead of Hamilton and Webber, with Button fourth and Alonso fifth. Alguersuari took seventh and Buemi ninth for Toro Rosso. Red Bull‘s double podium made its constructors’ title mathematically secure.

Further down the points places, Jaime Alguersuari, Nico Rosberg, Sébastien Buemi and Paul di Resta completed the scoring positions. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2011 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 349 points, followed by Jenson Button on 222. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 558, with McLaren on 418.

2011 Korean Grand Prix race results

The 2011 Korean Grand Prix was held on 16 October 2011, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	55	1:38:01.994	25
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	55	+12.019	18
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	55	+12.477	15
4	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	55	+14.694	12
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	55	+15.689	10
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	55	+25.133	8
7	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	55	+49.538	6
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	+54.053	4
9	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	55	+1:02.762	2
10	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	55	+1:03.602	1
11	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	55	+1:11.229	0
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	55	+1:33.068	0
13	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	54	+1 Lap	0
14	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	54	+1 Lap	0
15	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	54	+1 Lap	0
16	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	54	+1 Lap	0
17	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	54	+1 Lap	0
18	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	54	+1 Lap	0
19	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	54	+1 Lap	0
20	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	54	+1 Lap	0
21	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	52	+3 Laps	0
Ret	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	30	Clutch	0
Ret	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	16	Collision damage	0
Ret	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	15	Collision	0

2011 Korean Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	55	1:39.605	202.941
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	55	1:40.294	201.547
3	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	54	1:40.459	201.216
4	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	50	1:40.537	201.060
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	51	1:40.541	201.052
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	41	1:40.547	201.040
7	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	55	1:40.709	200.716
8	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	55	1:40.940	200.257
9	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	49	1:41.770	198.624
10	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	49	1:42.014	198.149
11	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	45	1:42.080	198.021
12	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	50	1:42.102	197.978
13	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	54	1:42.371	197.458
14	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	39	1:42.425	197.354
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	52	1:42.456	197.294
16	9	Bruno Senna	Renault	41	1:42.549	197.115
17	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	46	1:43.009	196.235
18	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	53	1:44.536	193.368
19	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	26	1:44.689	193.086
20	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	53	1:44.746	192.981
21	22	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT	53	1:44.870	192.752
22	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	13	1:45.327	191.916
23	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	10	1:45.469	191.658
24	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	45	1:46.173	190.387

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2011 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2011 Korean Grand Prix.

2011 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	349
2	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	222
3	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	212
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	209
5	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	196
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	98
7	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	67
8	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	60
9	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	36
10	Nick Heidfeld	German	Renault	34
11	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	28
12	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	27
13	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	22
14	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	21
15	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	15
16	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	13
17	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams	4
18	Bruno Senna	Brazilian	Renault	2
19	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	1
20	Pedro de la Rosa	Spanish	Sauber	0
21	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Team Lotus	0
22	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Team Lotus	0
23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	HRT	0
24	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Virgin Racing	0
25	Timo Glock	German	Virgin Racing	0
26	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0
27	Daniel Ricciardo	Australian	HRT	0
28	Karun Chandhok	Indian	Team Lotus	0

2011 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	558
2	McLaren	418
3	Ferrari	310
4	Mercedes	127
5	Renault	72
6	Force India	49
7	Sauber	40
8	Toro Rosso	37
9	Williams	5
10	Team Lotus	0
11	HRT	0
12	Virgin Racing	0

2011 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2011 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	27 March
2	2011 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	10 April
3	2011 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	2011 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	8 May
5	2011 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	22 May
6	2011 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	2011 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
8	2011 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	26 June
9	2011 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
10	2011 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	24 July
11	2011 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	31 July
12	2011 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
13	2011 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	11 September
14	2011 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	25 September
15	2011 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
16	2011 Korean Grand Prix	Korea International Circuit, Yeongam	16 October
17	2011 Indian Grand Prix	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida	30 October
18	2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	13 November
19	2011 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	27 November